Entrepreneurial Orientation and the Performance of the Agro-allied Enterprises in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

It is widely recognized that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the major drivers of sustainable economic growth, sources of income generation and panacea for poverty reduction in developing countries. Unfortunately, they are faced with numerous challenges that threaten their existence and survival. This precarity of small entrepreneurial organizations in entrepreneurial ecosystem has prompted widespread attention by scholars and researchers. Hence, it is critical to take into consideration examining the performance of the enterprises. This study analyzed the effect of entrepreneurial orientation dimensions, personal and institutional characteristics on the performance of small and medium agro allied enterprises. Through the multistage sampling procedure, a total of 198 SMEs were selected for the study and data were collected with the aid of questionnaire. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Results revealed that among the entrepreneurial orientation dimensions, only risking taking and innovativeness significantly and positively affected the performance of SMEs agro allied enterprises. Furthermore, findings showed that except for size of business which was negatively related to the growth of SMEs, educational level of entrepreneurs, managerial and business experience positively and significantly impacted on the performance of SMEs. Policies to encourage SMEs invest in risky investments and create new product and services should be pursued.

Removal of Heavy Metal Ions from Aqueous Solutions by Activated Carbon, Derived from Agricultural Waste

Low cost oxidized and un-oxidized activated carbon samples were prepared from saw dust and seed shells of Ziziphus jujube by chemical activation with phosphoric acid (H3PO4), followed by carbonization at 450 oC. The prepared carbon samples were characterized and utilized for the adsorptive removal of toxic heavy metals from aqueous solutions such as chromium (VI), cadmium (II) and lead (II) ions. All samples were found to be microporous in nature with low ash content, sufficient BET surface area and pore volumes. The effect of various parameters like solution pH, contact time, initial concentration, temperature, carbon dosage and shaking speed, on adsorption of metal ions was investigated. The adsorption of Cr (VI) decreased while that of Cd (II) and Pb (II) increased by increasing pH. Maximum adsorption of Cr (VI) was observed in the pH range of 2–4 at equilibrium time of 300-420 min. Equilibrium time for Cd (II) and Pb (II) adsorption was found to be 420-480 min at all temperatures. Batch experiments revealed that the adsorption of all the metal ions increased with increase in contact time, initial concentration, temperature and carbon dosage, etc. Thermodynamic studies indicated the feasibility, spontaneity and endothermic nature of the adsorption process. Among different isotherm and kinetic equations, Langmuir’s model and pseudo - second order equation were found to better describe the experimental data. The adsorption capacity of oxidized samples was found to be higher than that of un-oxidized samples for Cr (VI) but lower for Cd (II) and Pb (II). In comparison to Cd (II) ions, the removal of Pb (II) ions was higher. The results suggested that the prepared activated carbon samples could be used effectively as eco-environment friendly adsorbents for removal of Cr (VI), Cd (II) and Pb (II) ions from aqueous solutions. Keywords: Activated carbon; Ziziphus jujube; Adsorption; Heavy metals; Chromium; Cadmium; Lead; Thermodynamic; Kinetic